Exposed Artifice (Episode)
Exposed Artifice (露出策略, Roshutsu Sakuryaku) is the sixteenth episode of Mobile Suit Stardust Gundam. Summary The episode repeats the narration from the previous episode, adds something new. With Sigro now off the MC2MS-13579 Stardust Gundam, Takumi is left to pilot it now. The EUS-0098 Grissomm, after finishing its repairs, is flying off, over the wasteland below to Welgaia. Meanwhile, the APF-EF1002 Lance-class follows close behind, with its captain, Dagan Ragea, watching from the bridge. He tells assistant Jess Morma to get him something to drink, which makes her get out of the bridge and past Amy Jagon. She tells him that Jess is too young to be serving on board a warship, him saying that this is the level which the Arian Forces have been put at. Even so, he's going to put off sending her off into combat, despite her training as a pilot. They change the subject to the Grissomm and about their plan of attack, Dagan telling her that he wants to stretch out the Grissomm's defensive capabilities to their limit. As such, he'll send out his most well-trained pilots out to fight it. He'll also send Amy out, if she wants to go out, which she accepts. Meanwhile, on the Grissomm, Takumi lays down in his room, thinking about if he'll ever see Amy again. He sits up and looks at the painting he made of her, deciding to try and draw himself. At the same time, Sigro walks around the launch bay, looking at the MC2MS-13579 Stardust Gundam while thinking about his father. He tries to walk away, but he runs into Anima, who was there to check on the MHWMA-13580 Doraga Fighter. While they're there, she asks him what's going on in his mind, and asks why he's always so quiet nowadays. Sigro simply says that it's all the fighting that's going to him, but he also says that once they get to Earth Union HQ, they might not have to worry about this war anymore. He also brings up that's he's not quiet all the time, and asks for Anima not to tease him anymore. He leaves her, but she still sees some kind of sadness in him. Suddenly, the alarm sounds as a platoon of AMS-1001 Aryan units head to the Grissomm. Takumi runs out of his room, leaving behind his stuff as he yells out in the halls his excitement for piloting the Gundam. Outside, the platoon is being led by Amy in her custom suit, while she decides to have the rest of the platoon do their assigned roles in this plan. She stays far from the Grissomm's range of fire as she observes how everything goes. Takumi, in his excitement, forgets his pilot suit as he gets into the cockpit of the Stardust and takes off. He attacks and takes down one of the Aryans easily and goes to the other ones. Amy, realizing how the situation is going, rushes off to save the remaining soldiers. She attacks Takumi when he's about to take out another suit, and distracts him, allowing the others to continue their assault. Takumi pushes her off and swings a beam saber at her, but he suddenly gets a distracting feeling (while his eyes gleam), which makes him accidently only cut off the cockpit hatch. Amy, pissed, grabs Takumi and grinds him against the ground, taking him away from the ship. Doralus sees this and has Anima and Kara go out to deal with the rest of the Aryans. They go out in the Doraga and the MLRMA-13582 Reprisal Fighter respectively as they fight with the enemy. Meanwhile, Takumi kicks Amy off as they both stand up to face each other. She takes out a heat knife as the two standoff against each other, until Takumi rushes at her with the beam saber. He's about to strike when he realizes he can see inside and see a person inside, making him hesitate. This hesitation gives Amy a large amount of time to try and stab into the cockpit. However, the same feeling comes to her while Takumi tries to dodge, cutting off his cockpit hatch. Takumi, having enough of this, kicks her away while she wonders what had just happened. While she does this, Takumi rushes at her and grabs her, but also letting them pear into each other's cockpits. They see each other, with the both of them deeply shocked. Amy soon changes to anger as she kicks Takumi away and tries to stab into his cockpit again, but gets interrupted by Anima in the Doraga. She soon realizes that the rest of her platoon is gone, and retreats back to the Lance. Anima hails Takumi asking if he's fine, and he says yes, but, while she cannot see inside his cockpit, he cries in sorrow. A little while later, Doralus asks Takumi if he think he's still capable of piloting the Stardust after this screw up, and he says not yet. He also says that he needs more time, but in the meantime, have Sigro back as the pilot of the Stardust. Doralus reluctantly has it be this way, and goes down to tell Sigro, but warns him that if he disobeys his authority once again, he'll pay for it. Sigro understands, and Doralus leaves the room, slightly angry. On board the Lance, Amy apologizes for her screw-up during the operation, but Dagan tells her not to worry, that he now knows how powerful the ship is. He thanks her for her service, but suggests that she go somewhere else for the time being. She asks why, and he says that she was still beaten and that she needs to improve at it more, mostly through more battles against the Earth Union. He also says that she won't improve if she just fights a battle of attrition against the Grissomm. She says that she understands as she leaves in her Aryan, but while thinking about Takumi. At the same time, Takumi sits in his room, looking at the painting of Amy. He decides to throw it under his bed and forget about it. He picks up where he left off with drawing himself, while thinking back to the time spent with Amy. Trivia